1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the general field of medical devices and/or methods for cooling injured body parts to, e.g., alleviate pain and inflammation. In particular, it relates to an improved cover for ice bags; a method of providing an ice bag device with improved availability and convenience, by the use of such cover and other readily available items for the fabrication of such ice bag device, e.g., when needed; and the secure attachment of the ice bag to an injured body part, such as a limb or body trunk. It also relates to an article of manufacture that provides such cover, to the method of fabricating and/or using such ice bag device using such cover; to the provision with the cover of instructions for use that aid unskilled users to provide effective emergency assistance (“first aid treatment”) to injured body parts, and to methods of doing business that promote the availability of such covers, articles of manufacture, and methods, etc., to many more people who may need such first aid treatment.
2. Description of the Related Art
The desirability of using ice bags for thermal therapy is well accepted. Ice bags enable the user to apply cold to an injury such as a bruise or sprain without unacceptable mess. A common ice bag that is commercially available is the reusable type comprising a water-impermeable, commonly a rubber-lined, flexible bag having a tubular rigid neck and a removable cap. To use, the bag is filled with ice cubes or ice chips and closed with the cap, then the bag is applied to the bruised body part and held in place by hand.
Another type of cold pack that is commercially available is a refrigeratable gel cold pack which comprises a refrigerant or coolant gel material contained in a plastic housing which can be either flexible or relatively inflexible. By “refrigeratable” it is meant that the gel can be cooled by placing the gel in a refrigerator, used as the coolant in an ice bag, and then cooled again for a subsequent use. The gel packs are stored in a freezer for chilling or cooling and are then ready for use. Also commercially available is a chemical pack which comprises two or more pouches for separately storing chemical reactants which can be mixed to produce an endothermic cooling mixture.
A common home-use ice bag can be made using a commercially available reclosable plastic sandwich or freezer bag with a zipper seal, such as a Ziploc™ plastic bag filled with ice (Ziploc is a registered trademark of Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.). By “reclosable” it is meant that the bag can be opened and closed numerous times.
One of the disadvantages of these ice bags is that they need to be inconveniently held by hand to maintain contact with the injured body part. To overcome this inconvenience, several types of ice bag devices comprising a holder for these ice bags have been created. These ice bag devices can be strapped around a body part, with, e.g., loop and hook mating Velcro™-type fastening straps. These ice bag devices are usually of complicated design, large and bulky in size and/or expensive to produce and/or difficult to be washed for reuse.
Thus, there is a need for an improved, inexpensive and readily available ice bag device that can be used without having to be held by hand. Youth contact sport activities such as soccer, football and basketball are more and more popular. Unavoidably, some occasional bruises and injuries such as sprains accompany these activities. There is a need for an inexpensive and readily available ice bag device for such events. Such ice bag needs to be attachable to a body part, such as a limb or body trunk or head, because the injured player would likely prefer to stay to watch until the end of the game, but does not want to hold the ice bag with his or her hand for the duration of the game. Applying the ice bag device by hand not only is inconvenient, but it also can restrict the mobility if the injury is, e.g., in a lower part of the body such as in the leg or foot, and it can be awkward if the injury is, e.g., in a hard to reach body part such as on the back. It is also preferred that the cold should not reduce the skin temperature excessively since that can cause damage, e.g., frostbite. Such ice bag is preferably easily washable for reuse, or optionally disposable, because it is most likely applied to an unwashed and likely sweaty body part. Injuries that need an ice bag treatment also can happen in other types of outdoor activity such as picnicking, hiking and other outings, and/or on trips. Such ice bag device needs to be compact, not bulky, so that preferably it can fit in a first-aid box along with other first-aid items. Preferably such ice bag device is easily manufactured and used.